Electrical multi-pole plug-and-socket-type connector with associated socket part

ABSTRACT

PCT No. PCT/EP97/00826 Sec. 371 Date Aug. 11, 1998 Sec. 102(e) Date Aug. 11, 1998 PCT Filed Feb. 21, 1997 PCT Pub. No. WO97/33347 PCT Pub. Date Sep. 12, 1997An electrical connector includes a frame which supports contact modules which are equipped with connections for a corresponding number of conductors of a multi-wire cable. The contact modules and corresponding female modules can be freely combined in their selection and arrangement and can be latched together to form compact module blocks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of electricalconnectors and more particularly to modular multi-pole connectors inwhich male and female contact inserts are latched into respectiveretaining frames to form contact insert blocks.

2. Prior Art

Electrical plug connectors of modular construction are known from EP 0523 491 A1 as well as from various catalogs or product documents. Onepublished product catalog November, 1992 Elektrische Bauteile(Electrical Components) from the company 2E Rolf Hiller describes amodular plug system as a board plug connector based on DIN 41612 whosemodules, which can be inserted into a retaining frame, are designed asmale and female strips and can be fitted with contacts of differentshapes, by latching in, for the respective application. This system hasno plug housing and in the male strip, which is designed as a male part,can be regarded more as a separable board connection than as anindustrial plug. Depending on the fitting, the modules can be mounted ona printed circuit board, maintaining a basic grid. A retaining frame isused for mounting, and is provided on the board side as a collecting andalignment frame. The modules which are inserted into this retainingframe are available only as plug-in, crimped or soldered versions.Universal use by means of clamping or screw-clamping connection forwires and braids and PE contact-making integrated in the modular systemare not provided.

The catalogs published by CONTACT Connectors 950331 EPIC Baureihe MC(EPIC MC series), Concept--Das modulare Steckverbindersystem(Concept--The modular plug connector system), INNOVATION, Title pageplug connectors, Weidmuller, Amphenol C 146 Modular Catalog, europublishing February, 1994 likewise describe modular plug connections ofa common system which can be inserted and latched into a frame. In thecase of this system, the individual modules are guided via side guideribs and corresponding grooves running in the insertion direction in theretaining frame, and are attached to the latter via latching hooks. Themodules are very robust and thus of a voluminous design, which leads toa considerable increase in the size of the contact grid. For bondingbetween the male part and the female part, early-make PE metal contactsare provided at the sides on the frame and outside the modulearrangement on the narrow side of the plug connector, and these requireadditional installation space to allow the contact connection to springout at the sides. In the case of plug connections which do not requirebonding, this is at the expense of the number of contacts per plugconnector. To this end, the fitting/base housings and the sleevehousings have been matched, in a robust configuration, to the particularrequirements of rugged use and, as a rule, are made of metal. The shapeof the housings in this case is matched to a mechanical hinged interlocksystem that is provided, and this requires additional installation spacefor the entire electrical plug connector.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide anelectrical connector in which modular electrical contacts can becombined in a retaining frame.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electricalconnector which provides protection against the electromagneticcompatability problems.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an electricalconnector which is reliable in operation and compact in size.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present inventionwill appear more clearly hereinafter.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an electricalconnector of the type mentioned initially for Protection Class IP 65.The electrical connector incorporates PE contacts and modular contactinserts.

The present invention minimizes the disadvantages of the prior art and,for applications which do not require bonding, to make it possible forcontact modules also to use the PE contact area, which is not requiredin these applications, on the narrow side of the plug connector, whilemaintaining the same plug area size. Thus, for such applications, it ispossible to increase the number of contacts per plug connector and itsinstalled volume. The present invention is intended to complydimensionally with Protection Class IP65 and to allow use, on the onehand, with a plastic sleeve housing on devices, as well as in a secondconfiguration with a metal housing for relatively rugged industrialpurposes in extreme environmental conditions and with additionalelectromagnetic compatibility (EMC) protection, without any differencein size to that of a plastic housing and with the same physical size anddifferent contact inserts.

Printed circuit board miniature plug connectors (which are known per se)can be combined with a mutually matching grid size in groups to form amodule, and can be modified such that these modules can be arranged in aretaining frame, on the one hand as a male part of the sleeve housing,and on the other hand as a female part on the connection or equipmentside. The arrangement is achieved in design terms in such a manner thatthe operating elements or openings point toward the longitudinal side ofthe retaining frame, in order to make it easier to wire up theindividual terminal points. A plurality of modules with differentcontact inserts for power and/or signal transmission can thus becombined using a screw clamping or spring force clamping technique andcan be arranged in a freely variable sequence corresponding to thespecified grid size of the retaining frame.

An additional feature of the present invention relates to the overallthickness of the retaining frame. By minimizing the wall thickness ofthe retaining frame on the male side in the same way as the fittingframe on the equipment side, it is possible to allow optimum utilizationof the plug connector area for the number of modules to be inserted.This is achieved as a result of the fact that, in the case of oneembodiment of the invention, the design of the retaining frame dispenseswith sprung PE metal parts for making early contact, which PE metalparts (which are permanently installed on the retaining frame) arenormally firmly and integrally connected to the retaining frame at theends in the longitudinal direction of the plug connector.

In the situation where early-make PE contacts are required, a specialretaining frame is provided as a fitting kit and is matched to themodularity of the plug connector modules, in which fitting kit PEcontacts of modular form and using half the module grid size areprovided at the outer ends of the retaining frame in the longitudinaldirection, which contacts together produce an entire module and areconnected to one another via a link which is mounted longitudinally onthe inside of the frame and is made of electrically conductive materialas flat strip or round wire. A PE conductor which forms part of theconductor cable can be connected to this PE module in the sleevehousing.

In an additional embodiment of the invention the female part of theelectrical connector, which is normally mounted on the fitting frame onthe equipment or fitting side or on an industrial 19" rack, can also, inits configuration as a mating piece, be used to form the male partwithout a PE connection, as well as to form a male part with PE modules.To this end, the fitting frame for the application without PE connectionis designed as the mating part for the male side to a maximum number ofconnector modules. For use with PE contacts, the modular breakdown ofthe fitting frame is matched to the position of the modules on the plugside, and likewise has a push-in link made of electrically conductivemetal strip or round wire, which is connected at the other female partend to a PE module which can be latched into the retaining frame. Thishas the advantage that all that need be mounted is one continuing PEconnection, irrespective of whether this is a conductor track on aprinted circuit board or a conductor which can be clamped on freely.

It is also advantageous for the contact inserts on the fitting orequipment side to be latched to one another using latching means on theside surfaces of the individual modules to form a block, which leads toadditional stability of the contact inserts in the female part and,furthermore, in the overall plug connector. The combination of contactinserts for making contact with a printed circuit board and contactinserts for connection of continuing flexible electrical conductors isalso advantageous. Each of these different contact inserts can bepermanently connected to a module using a different type of connectiontechnique, via latching pieces or dovetail guides provided at the sidesof these modules, to form a block.

A further feature is the design arrangement, intended forelectromagnetic compatibility (EMC) protection of a shielding platebetween the metal sleeve housing intended for this purpose and aretaining frame which is intended for positioning of the sleeve housingon the front of the equipment on the fitting side and, at the same time,is also the retaining part for the female contact modules on theequipment side. From the equipment side, this shielding plate enclosesthe retaining frame so that once the shielding plate has been insertedwith the fitting frame into the equipment connecting opening, a contactis at the same time provided with the edge of the equipment frontopening via a plurality of sprung subelements of the shielding plate,which are supported on the longitudinal side of the retaining frame.

On the other hand, it is possible for the plug and the front of theequipment to be connected via the fitting flanges to PE connections on aprinted circuit board (PCB). For this purpose, the metal parts aredesigned as attachment elements of the fitting flange so that it ispossible to make contact with a conductor track on a printed circuitboard (PCB).

Protection Class IP 65 for the entire plug connector design is in thiscase achieved via a groove, which is provided toward the contact surfacein the sleeve housing wall of the plastic and/or metal housing and acord seal which is inserted into this groove and projects toward thecontact surface of the plug connector and which, as a result of the plugconnector sleeve being screwed to an equipment wall, produces a sealbetween the two parts. This design is advantageous and cost-effectivesince, in consequence, there is no need for a plug connector fittinghousing with additional sealing toward the equipment wall and theadditional installation area connected to it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other important objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like partsand in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical multi-pole plugand socket type connector with associated socket part made in accordancewith the present invention showing a first part of a sleeve housing 2 ofan electrical plug connector 1 with a multicore conductor cable 3connected, a cable gland 4 with strain relief, a withdrawn retainingframe 5 and two different contact modules 6a, 6bwhich can be latched inthe retaining frame 5;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the retaining frame 5 with PEcontacts, taken in the direction "A", in FIG. 1, and with contactmodules 6a, 6b latched in, PR modules 7 which are arranged integrally onthe retaining frame 5 and their connection to an electrically conductivemetal part 8 via a link 9 which is fitted on the retaining frame 5, andthe position of the fastening screws 10 in the sleeve housing 2;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the fitting parts of the frontof a piece of equipment in an embodiment with PE contacts and theirarrangement in the fitting frame 11 on the equipment side, with the link17 inserted, the position of the shielding plate 12, a front panel 13 ofa piece of equipment and one possible arrangement of a module block 14of printed circuit board female modules 14a, 14b and fitting flanges 16,as well as PE modules 15 for making contact with free electricalconductors 20;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the arrangement for connectingthe fitting frame 11, the shielding plate 12 and the fitting flanges 16in a configuration without PE contact, in which the shielding plate 12makes contact by means of sprung contacts 34 with the inner edge of theretaining opening 13a on the front of the equipment 13, and in whichcase it is possible to connect the shielding plate 12 and the front ofthe equipment 13 to conductor tracks 18 on a printed circuit board 19 tothe front of the equipment 13 is provided via the fitting flanges 16;and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the arrangement of PE modules15 on the fitting frame 11 with the position of the push-in link 17 onthe retaining frame 11 being illustrated, and its contacts at the sidewith the spring contacts 28 of the PE modules 15, which are illustratedhere in a preferred manner as connectors for free conductors 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers designate likeor corresponding parts throughout, there is shown in FIGS. 1-5 anelectrical multi-pole plug and socket type connector with associatedsocket part made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a first portion of an electrical connector 1, the male partcomprising a sleeve housing 2, a retaining frame 5 and at least onecontact module 6a, 6b which can be latched into this retaining frame 5,a PG gland 4 for mechanical and sealed attachment of a conductor cable 3to the clamping and sealing elements which are normal therein, thefastening screws 10 for fastening the sleeve housing 2 on a front of anequipment wall 13, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, and a seal 25 whichis inserted in an advantageous manner in a groove in the contact surfaceof the housing sleeve and, together with the PG gland 4, allows theentire electrical plug connector to be sealed to IP 65. This saves anadditional seal in a base part, as well as the base part itself. Theseparts are supplemented by the fastening parts 28, which can be seen inFIG. 2. The retaining opening 37 for the sleeve housing 2 has arectangular cross section with contact surfaces which are formed on thelongitudinal sides 38 and interact with the longitudinal sides 39 of theelongated retaining frame 5.

Once the outer sheath of insulation has been stripped off the conductorcable 3 for a specified length, the individual cores in the conductorcable are inserted, after the cable gland with strain relief 4 has beenpassed over them, into the gland opening in the sleeve housing 2 and arethen prepared for clamping contact to be made with them. Furthermore,the retaining frame 5 is fitted with the sequence of different oridentical contact modules 6a, 6b simply by latching in the matingdirection "B". The retaining frame 5 is advantageously andcost-effectively manufactured from plastic and, for attachment of thecontact modules 6a, 6b, has pieces 30 which are structurally designedand project counter to the mating direction "B", on which pieces 30undercuts 29 are provided on the inside of the retaining frame 5, inorder to accommodate latching pieces 31 which project at right angles tothe mating direction "B" of the contact modules 6a, 6b. When theretaining frame 5 is in the unmated state, this connection into thesleeve housing 2 can be released without applying any major force byslightly bending up the retaining frame 5 so that the position of acontact module 6a, 6b can be moved directly.

In the state when the contact modules 6a, 6b are completely latched inthe retaining frame 5, the individual conductors of the conductor cable3 can be connected to the contact modules 6a, 6b. For this purpose, thestructural design of the contact module 6a, 6b has advantageously beenprovided such that the operating elements for the clamping connectionpoint toward the longitudinal side 39, 39a of the retaining frame 5 andare not covered by the projecting pieces 30 of the retaining frame 5.

Once all the individual conductors in the conductor cable 3 have beenconnected, the retaining frame 5 is pushed with latched-in contactmodules 6a, 6b into the sleeve housing 2 in the mating direction "B",the individual conductors in the conductor cable 3 being located in theinterior of the sleeve housing 5. The retaining frame 5 is screwed bymeans of fastening elements 28 according to FIG. 2 to the sleeve housing2, in the mating direction "B", in the interior of the sleeve housing.Once the retaining frame 5 is firmly seated, it is no longer possible toremove a connector module 6a, 6b since the inner contact surfaces 38 ofthe sleeve housing 2 as a shaped element counteract the widening of thelongitudinal sides 39 of the retaining frame 5.

Supports 32 which project at the side are provided on the plastichousing part of the contact module 6a, 6b in order to support and toposition the contact modules in the mating direction "B", are supportedon the edge of the retaining frame 5 in the mating direction "B" andhave side supports 32 which engage around the edge of the longitudinalside 39 of the retaining frame 5 and counteract any movement of thecontact module 6a, 6b transversely with respect to the mating direction"B" as well as any widening of the retaining frame 5 as well aspreventing the connector modules 6a, 6b from becoming loose.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the partially fitted retaining frame5 of an alternative embodiment of the invention for making PE contact.The projecting latching piece holders 30 of the retaining frame 5 areillustrated, with the undercuts 29.

It is often necessary to pass and to transfer an electrical potentialvia wiring to a piece of equipment for protection of the electroniccomponents located in it. In an alternative embodiment of the electricalconnector 1, this electrical potential is transferred from the male sideto the equipment side by the provision of a PE module 7 for thispurpose, which is designed in the form of a contact module 6a, 6b andmakes contact on the equipment side in FIG. 3 with a PE female module 15which can be inserted.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 provides fixed PEcontacts 7 in a retaining frame and, at the same time, does not make itimpossible to continue to fit contact modules 6a, 6b at the sides. Thestructural design of these PE modules 7, which can be latched in and arethus firmly connected to the retaining frame 5, in the shape and grid ofthe contact modules 6a preferably allows the interchangeable use of PEfemale mating pieces 15 on the equipment side. The PE female modules 15may be designed both with a free conductor connection and with plug orsolder connections for making contact with a printed circuit board.

For this purpose, it is advantageously provided in one structuralvariant for the retaining frame 5 and the fitting frame 11 to be formedintegrally with the retaining frame 5 at both ends, in a version as a PEmodule 7 and in each case being half the width of the contact module 6aand for a prefabricated electrically conductive metal part 8 to beinserted with a connected link 9 between the outer metal parts 8 which,in turn, make electrical contact at the sides with the clampedconnection of the conductor connection of the PE module 7. In anotherstructural variant, a PE module 7, which can be plugged in and latchedand is once again half as wide as the contact module is possible, thecontact-making metal parts being matched to this structure. Theconfiguration of the fitting frame with PE contact-making is assembledin a fitting kit. The mutually matchine PE modules 7, 15 of the plugconnector 1 and of the female part 35 (FIG. 3) have early-make contacts36.

FIG. 3 shows the fitting side (equipment side), namely the female part35 with the components required for connection to an equipment frontcover 13. In the case of this configuration the structural design of thefitting frame 11 includes an attachment and a positioning flange for thesleeve housing 2 on the one hand and on the other hand serves as aguiding fitting frame 11 for the female modules 14a, 14b, 15 which arepositioned as mating pieces for the plug side.

The female modules 14a, 14b, 15 can be fitted, in a corresponding mannerto the plug side, with the same mutual sequence by latching in so thatthe latching-in technique required for this purpose is used by means ofthe elements 29 to 32 (in FIGS. 1 and 2) on the plug side.

In practice, the female modules 14a on the equipment side are connectedto printed circuit boards (PCBs) 19 directly electrically as well as bymeans of a push-in technique. To this end, it is advantageous to clipthe connecting modules together to form blocks 14 according to FIG. 3.

According to FIG. 5, conventional latching means 33, such as conicalpins pointing toward one another and undercut holes and/or dovetailtongues and grooves, are provided at the sides on each female module14a, 14b, 15. Alternatively, female modules 14b for free conductorconnection can be latched together with the printed circuit boardvariant (which can be soldered or pushin in) of the female modules 14aby means of the connection capability 33 at the sides, to form blocks14. The latched-together module blocks 14 can be soldered on the printedcircuit board 19 and, as a total entity in the form of a module block14, can be pushed into the fitting frame 11 and latched. To this end,the fitting frame 11 is held on the housing front cover 13 from the plugside (FIG. 3) by means of the connecting elements 26, in which case theconnector block 14 is latched from the rear side of the housing frontcover 13 into the fitting frame 11 in the form described above, so thatthe housing front cover 13 is clamped in between the fitting frame 11and the female modules 14a, 14b, 15. In addition, on the board side ofthe housing front cover 13 into the fitting frame 11 in the formdescribed above, so that the housing front cover is clamped in betweenthe fitting frame 11 and the female modules 14a, 14b, 15. In addition,on the board side of the housing front cover 13, fitting attachmentflanges 16 are provided on both sides of the module block 14 and can belatched on one side to the female modules 14a, 14b, 15, but on the otherside pull the fitting frame 11 against the housing front cover 13,position it and secure it by means of the connecting elements 26.

In addition, a line 17 is provided on the equipment side for connectionof the respective PE female modules 15, which are provided at one end ofthe module block 14, as a mating piece for the plug variant with PEmodules 7. To this end, those PE contact modules 15 which can be pluggedon on the equipment side but are not firmly connected to the fittingframe 11 are equipped in their upper, opened housing part 15 and on theside facing away from the printed circuit board 19 with sprung contactelements 28, which can be seen in FIG. 5, into which the bentelectrically conductive end pieces 27 of the link 17 can be inserted,and contact-making is thus provided for passing onto a PE female moduleclamping connector which makes the electrical connection for the printedcircuit board or, as illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, to free PEconductors 20.

In an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) protected embodiment of theelectrical connector 1, shown in FIG. 4, a shielding plate 12 isproposed which is placed on the equipment side before the fitting frame11 is mated with the housing front cover 13 via the fitting frame 11 andis secured together with this on the housing front cover 13, the sprungelectrically conductive shielding plate contacts 34 producing electricalcontact with the inner edge 13a of the housing front cover opening.

To this end, FIG. 4 illustrates the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)variant with the PE contact with a printed circuit board track, theequipment front side and its opening not being illustrated, in order toillustrate the detail. Even in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the sprungshielding plate contacts 34 can make contact with the inner edge of theretaining opening on the front of the piece of equipment, so that thefitting attachment flanges 16 do not necessarily need to make aconnection with the shielding plate 12, since the housing front cover 13of the equipment can be electrically insulated by, for example, avarnish coating. FIG. 4 illustrated an application in which the metalparts of the fitting attachment flanges 16 are designed such that, onthe one hand, they can make contact with a conductor track 18 on aprinted circuit board 19 and, on the other hand, can produce aconnection for the housing front cover 13 by means of the metal parts ofthe fitting attachment flanges 16.

FIG. 5 furthermore shows the connection and arrangement between theelectrically conductive link 17 and the PE female modules 15 for passingon the PE to free conductors 20. The link 17 is in this case bent at itsends 27, in the illustrated configuration preferably being bent at rightangles and, by means of the projecting end pieces 27, makes contact withelectrically conductive contact spring elements 28 of the PE femalemodule 15, in its upper housing region which is open toward the link 17.In the lower region of the PE female module 15, the electrical contactis preferably equipped to form a pin contact as a mating piece to the PEmodule 7, which is provided in the male part, with a contact springelement, in which case this pin contact on the female module 15 is inturn integrally connected to the contact spring elements 28. Thesefemale modules 15 also have side latching means 33 in order to arrangethem in a row to form a module block 14.

The following is a list of reference symbols as set forth in theforegoing Specification:

    ______________________________________                                        Numeral    Refers to:                                                         ______________________________________                                         1         Plug connector                                                      2         Sleeve housing                                                      3         Conductor cable, multi-core                                         4         Cable gland with strain relief                                      5         Retaining frame                                                     6         Contact module                                                      6a        Contact module, 8-way                                               6b        Contact module, 2-way                                               7         PE module                                                           8         Metal part, electrically conductive                                 9         Link, plug side                                                    10         Fastening screw                                                    11         Fitting frame                                                      12         Shielding plate                                                    13         Housing front cover                                                14         Module block                                                       14a        Female module, which can plugged in/soldered                       14b        Female module, free conductor outgoer                              15         PE female module                                                   16         Fitting attachment flange                                          17         Link, socket side                                                  18         PE conductor track                                                 19         Printed circuit board (PCB)                                        20         Free conductor                                                     21         Grip for user                                                      22         Marking plate                                                      23         Projection                                                         24         Grip side                                                          25         Seal                                                               26         Fastening screws                                                   27         Link end piece                                                     28         PE socket metal                                                    29         Latching piece retaining depression                                30         Latching piece holder                                              31         Latching piece                                                     32         Side support                                                       33         Side module latching                                               34         Shielding plate contact                                            35         Female part                                                        36         Early-make contact                                                 37         Retaining opening                                                  38         Longitudinal side of the sleeve housing                            39         Longitudinal side of the retaining frame                           ______________________________________                                    

The foregoing specific embodiments of the present invention as set forthin the specification herein are for illustrative purposes only. Variousdeviations and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope ofthis invention, without departing from the main theme thereof.

We claim:
 1. An electrical multi-pole plug connector having anassociated female part, the two of which each have a frame foraccommodating contact modules which correspond to one another and areequipped with connections for a corresponding number ofconductors,wherein two PE modules (7, 15) can in each case optionally beinserted, instead of at least one contact module (6a, 6b), in the frame(5) of the plug connector (1) and in the frame (11) of the female part(35), which PE modules (7, 15) have early-make contacts (36) which makecontact with one another first of all when the plug connector (1) andthe female part (35) are mated, and wherein a link (9, 17) whichconnects the respective two PE modules (7, 15) and is composed ofelectrically conductive material can respectively be fitted to the frame(5, 11).
 2. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PEmodules (7, 15) of the plug connector and/or of the female part (35)have a connection for a free conductor (20).
 3. The plug connector asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the PE modules (15) of the female part (35)have plug-in or solder connections for making contact with a printedcircuit board (19).
 4. The plug connector as claimed in claim 3, whereinfitting flanges (16), which can be screwed to the frame (11) of thefemale part (35), are firmly arranged on the printed circuit board (19)and can be latched to the PE modules (15) of the female part (35) withthe printed circuit board (19).
 5. The plug connector as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the contact modules (6a, 6b) have a module width withthe same pitch, and the PE modules (7, 15) have half the width of thecontact modules.
 6. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe contact modules (6a, 6b) and the PE modules (7, 15) have sidelatching means (33).
 7. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1,wherein the link (9,17) which connects the PE modules (7, 15) iscomposed of flat strip or round wire.
 8. The plug connector as claimedin claim 7, wherein the link (9, 17) which connects the PE modules (7,15) is arranged internally or externally on the frame (5, 11).
 9. Theplug connector as claimed in claim 7, wherein the link (17), whichconnects the PE modules (15) of the female part (35), makes contact witha shielding plate (12) which surrounds the frame (11) and, in the matedarrangement, is connected to the sleeve housing (2) of the plugconnector (1).
 10. The plug connector as claimed in claim 9, whereininstead of the PE modules (15) of the female part (35), the fittingflanges (16) on the printed circuit board (19) are electricallyconnected to the shielding plate (12) and to PE conductor tracks (18)which are arranged on the printed circuit board (19).